Authors: EA HUNT
Elsie covered her hand on top of the one Meghan had covering hers. “Army wives for life.”
Meghan and Elsie nodded as they stood and headed back out into the party.
***
Finally the day was over and he could lie down in his bed and hopefully dream of something other than the torture he endured. Eric turned on the shower and began to strip he turned his head and looked at his wife in their bedroom getting ready for bed. She had showered and gotten the baby ready for bed while he had done all the evening chores needed for the farm. He turned fully and watched as she slide her nightgown on she looked so beautiful. Her skin was glowing and her eyes were bright and he loved her but he was scared he was going to hurt her. She thought he didn’t know she would wake at night and get him off the floor because he had thought he was still being held captive. She also thought he didn’t know he was talking in his sleep. He knew all these things and hated that she was going through this. Hated that he had caused her to go through all of this.
He turned from her and got into the shower when he got back to the Post he was going to be placed on desk duty then he was to see the Post shrink to talk about what was going on. All things he wanted to do. He could pretend to be macho and say he didn’t need anyone’s help but what would that do? He’d seen too many soldiers end up killing themselves, their families, careers or find an escape in drugs or alcohol. He was not going to be that person. Eric stepped out of the shower he wrapped the towel on the counter around his waist no he was going to make himself better for his family he owed them that for the hell he’d put them through.
The rain was really coming down he should hurry his run but he wouldn’t. He needed the rain to wash away the nightmare. Eric picked up his speed as he headed towards his home once the dream had gotten him again he had done as his therapist suggested and pushed through it. Waking himself and finding something to do with his time and running seemed to be the best way. Especially when he’d get back home and Elsie would be waiting for him on the front porch with a fresh cup of coffee and Mara’s latest antics ready for him to hear. Eric slowed his pace when he was five houses away from his. While Elsie regaled him of stories about his oldest daughter he would sip his coffee and wonder how he had ended up with such an amazing woman. She never wavered. Never made an indication she could not handle all that was going on with him. No all she did was be supportive. She was there for him while he was finding his way all the time taking care of him and their children.
Eric started to walk up his front walk he needed to shower then get dressed. He had a meeting with the Post Commander at nine and he had some reports which needed to be completed before the meeting. He found the hide away key and unlocked their house. He walked over to the alarm and unlocked the system. He didn’t want it going off waking the whole house. He closed and locked their front door before he turned and headed down the hall towards the bedrooms. Eric stopped in the doorway of his bedroom he looked at his wife. He released a breath as he watched her sleep she had stood by him the last two months like she had been doing this Army Wife thing all her life. She hadn’t once been tempted to run even though he was positive he had given her enough reasons to. He turned from her and headed for the shower he needed to do something special for her. She had been through so much that she deserved to be pampered. Eric stepped into the shower a smile curving his lips as an idea formed.
***
Elsie lifted her eyelids slowly she had been in the kitchen about to start the coffee machine and make her call to Janelle when she’d heard Eric coming onto the porch. She’d quickly started the machine then rushed back to bed. If her plan was to succeed she needed everything to work out. She opened her eyes fully turned her head and saw her husband in the shower. She rubbed her thighs together hoping to relief the ache which was there. Having Eric in bed with her every night for the last two months and have him do nothing to her was killing her. She knew why he didn’t touch her he thought he would hurt her. She turned from the bathroom when she heard the shower stop. She closed her eyes and pretended to be sleeping.
She tried not to moan when she smelled his soap it was woodsy and all him. That was what had caused the incident her smelling him in her sleep. They had been in their new home on Post in Clarksville a few weeks and Eric had been going to therapy to talk about what happened to him. Her husband was getting stronger or so she thought. All she’d done was cuddle up to him. Place her leg on his thigh and start to rub he’d felt so good. She’d been ready to mount him. To ride him for all either of them were worth when he had caught her leg bent it behind her then rolled on top of her saying in a tight threatening voice
‘I will not let you hurt me again.’
She’d cried out in pain as he pressed his body on top of hers with her leg under her. Once the nightmare had broken he’d scrambled off of her. The look of disgust in his eyes had haunted her. She’d tried to tell him she was ok but he hadn’t listened and had moved to the couch for a few days. All she had done was cry because she couldn’t help him. Couldn’t make him believe she didn’t blame him but he blamed himself and that was all that mattered.
“Baby I have to go. I love you.”
She felt him kiss her. She responded as always wanting him to lie with her. Wanting him to make love to her but he would pull away all too soon and all too soon she would feel lonely once more.
Eric pulled back from his wife’s tempting kisses, he wanted her so bad it hurt but after what he’d done he was scared he’d hurt her. His therapist and Elsie had told him it wasn’t his fault but he didn’t feel like that. He felt like it was all his fault. He’d caused her pain and he would beat himself up for a while about that. He straightened turned and headed out of their bedroom.
Once Elsie heard the from door close she sat up and bit her lower lip she had a few hours to pull everything together. Tonight her husband was hers and there was no way he was going to push her away.
***
Julia looked out of the rearview mirror once more as she crossed the border into Tennessee she had a few hours before she reached Eric’s which was a good thing because she wanted to make sure she put as much space between her supplier as she could. She released a breath as she turned back to the road. Jonny had thought it a good idea for them to expand their business and she’d went right along with the plan. They’d been doing good until Eric had been captured and she had allowed her mother to drag her onto the news. Because of that exposure no client wanted to touch her and her supplier wanted her to start moving product on the Army Post. She’d refused. Getting caught moving drugs with the Army was Federal time and she was not trying to do Federal time. Since she had refused and her clients wouldn’t touch her she was in deep. The man had burnt her and Jonny’s trailer as a warning. Now she and Jonny were on the run and the only safe place she could go was Eric’s she just hoped her brother would welcome her with open arms.
***
“Well, well look at you.”
Elsie moved from left to right in the black semi sheer nightie Janelle and Synette had helped her pick out “do you think he will like it?” She questioned as she bit her lower lip she wanted Eric to think she was sexy.
“If he doesn’t darlin’ he is a fool,” Janelle said as she rocked Raelyn in her arms. She’d come to Clarksville to get the girls for the weekend. Right when she was pulling up to the house Mara was coming out saying she was sorry but she was heading to sleepover with her friends and it was to last the weekend. Janelle had bid her niece a happy time and watched as the young woman left.
“I agree with Jan. If Eric doesn’t love it he is a fool” Synette said. She smiled at Elsie her friend deserved this weekend and she, Synette, had come up from Atlanta to help her make sure it went off without a hitch plus Elsie had promised to introduce her a few of the eligible bachelors on the base. “Now your hair”
Elsie nodded “I have an appointment in ten minutes. Plus I have the food being delivered at six and Eric is supposed to get home by seven.”
“Seems you have everything in hand,” Janelle said.
Elsie looked at the woman she considered her mother in law she hoped she did. Jan was watching the baby for the weekend and Mara was at her friend Sammie’s so the girls were taken care of problem was could she handle what was about to happen? She smiled at the two women turned and headed into the dressing room to change. She and Eric were going to have a new start tonight. They were going to consummate their marriage and begin again. She bit her lower lip as she put her clothes back on. Would he find her sexy in this? Was she making the right decision in having this weekend?
She closed her eyes and said a little pray she was making a big deal out of nothing. Eric would love her in this outfit and tonight she was going to be the goddess of his dreams. She opened her eyes smiled at herself in the mirror and headed out of the room. She was Elsie Reynolds and her husband was not about to know what hit him.
***
He hit the save button on his computer gathered his things and started to stand his wife was expecting him home in thirty minutes and he intended to be there. Eric smiled as he looked at the box on his desk he had gone to a jeweler in Nashville on his lunch intending to find something he could give his wife along with the trip he was planning. He’d been ready to leave the jewelers because he hadn’t seen anything he liked when the most beautiful tear drop pearl and white diamond necklace caught his eye. He asked the jeweler to see it and knew it was meant to be his wife’s. While he had had an inscription placed on the back on the white gold holding the pearl and diamonds in place he had gotten lunch and made a call to a florist to have a bouquet of flowers delivered to his wife. He wanted tonight to be special because she was about to get the surprise of her life. Eric was about to head out of his office when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID it was the south gate. He picked up the phone hoping the call wouldn’t take long.
***
Elise looked at herself in the mirror her shoulder length hair was now gone and before her was a pixie cut hairstyle. When she had gone into the stylist she had every intention on having them layer her hair but once she’d sat in the chair she knew a new start meant a new style. She bit the inside of her lip as she bounced a little on her toes she hoped Eric liked what she had done. She rushed over to the bed and pulled on her nightie Eric was due home soon and she could not to see him.
***
“I told you I came to see Lieutenant Eric Reynolds and you say I can’t go to his house.”
The Private released a breath he had been talking to this woman for the last ten minutes and he was tired of it, “ma’am you are not on the list of those authorized to visit the Post at will.”
Julia fumed she’d been telling this jerk she was Eric’s sister for the last ten minutes and still he wouldn’t open the gate and let her in. “How-”
“Jules?”
She turned and faced her brother “hey”
Eric walked into the office “what are you doing here?”
“I came to see how you were doing.”
Eric stopped before her “why?”
“Huh?”
“Why –” he stopped, he looked over her head “thank you Private Johns I can handle it from here?”
Johns nodded turned and walked away.
Eric took his sister’s arm and guided her out of the guard house, “why are you here Julia?” He questioned as he released her arm.
She faced her brother, “I can’t come check on you.”
“Last I heard you were in New Mexico. That was the reason you didn’t come to Aunt Jan’s”
Julia shrugged; she and Jonny had been doing a run for her supplier. One of the last runs he was able to do. That was one of the reasons she hadn’t been able to come to the party like she wanted to be with Elsie and those brats Eric was claiming. “Sorry Jonny and I were on vacation. How was the party?”
“It was fine. Look I need to get home. As you can see I’m fine and you can leave.”
“I wanted to spend some time with you,” Julia said if her brother turned her away she would have nowhere to turn. Her mother would sooner turn her in then help her. And Aunt Jan would just preach to her that she needed to go to the police and get her life straight. She was not willing to hear any of that.
“Jules” he shook his head it had been a long time since his sister had wanted to spend any time with him. When they were growing up she had followed him around like he hung the moon then she had hit her teens, their father had died and their mother’s beliefs had corrupted Julia so much he barely recognized her. “I will have to call Eli and tell her your coming to the house.”
Julia huffed, “do you have to?”
“She’s my wife Julia,” he replied he was not in the mood to hear her hate speak. He called his wife when he got a busy signal, he released a breath “she’s not answering she must be busy with Rae.”
“I have no clue why you allowed her to name that child after our father.”
“Don’t.” He looked at his sister as he slide his phone back in his pocket, “Raelyn is my daughter and so is Mara. If you can’t accept that then there is no need for you to come to my home.”
Julia nodded; she needed to play nice here “sorry.”
Eric nodded, “follow me” he’d try Elsie again on his way to the house.
***
“So,” Elsie questioned Synette as she placed the food on the table, Eric would be home any minute and she still needed to light the candles on the table.
“Thank you ma’am this was a very good idea.”
Elsie smiled she had sent Synette to one of the parties an officer was having off Post. She’d left her in the capable hands of one of the wives of a charity she, Elsie, had become a part of.
“This was awesome.”
“So Sandy is”
“By my side most of the evening when her husband isn’t pulling her away to dance. This place is pretty cool.”
“Captain Warren likes to have a place where the guys and girls can wind down and not feel like they’re in the Army all the time. The Shooter provides that. Hey do I need to-”
“Nope. I’ve had a few offers but Sandy said I could stay with her. I think Sandy and her husband want to be alone so I’m going to call a cab. Promise me we are meeting for lunch tomorrow.”
“As long as Eric lets me out of bed”
“Even if he doesn’t we are still having lunch before I head home.”
“Yes, we are, I plan on telling you all the nasty details”
Synette chuckled glad her friend sounded so happy. “I look forward madam. Now I have to go some good looking man is pulling me towards the dance floor.”
Elsie chuckled as she ended her call with her friend. She placed her cell on the table picked up the matches and lit the candles before her. Everything was as it was supposed to be. She smiled as she blew out the match she could not wait until Eric got home.